Does the undergrad you go too matter to adcoms?

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Your choice of undergraduate institution doesn't matter nearly as much as your performance on the MCAT, but it may come into play at some medical schools after you get through the initial screens if you are otherwise on the bubble.

It can probably help to go to a more renowned school if you can, but you're not going to be eliminated from consideration based solely on where you went to college.

If money is an issue for you, I'd recommend choosing the state school that best fits your learning style.
 
I spoke on the phone to someone at MUSC and she outright told me my undergraduate school's ranking and how it affected my screening. She basically said "Well your GPA is X and your MCAT is Y, your school is ranked "high" so we add Z to those numbers, and you would get an interview if you applied here."
 
not really, it might be a swing factor in close cases...but in the big scheme of things it's pretty irrelevant
 
The undergraduate institution definitely matters. I spoke with someone on the admissions board at a North Carolina medical school and they said that they basically have tiers of schools. For example, if someone graduates from Duke with a 3.6 and someone graduates from UNC Asheville with a 3.9, they are going to look more favorably on the person from Duke. Granted, if the person from UNC Asheville has a 40 on the MCAT, I think it's safe to say that they are probably going to be ok. Essentially, at an "easier" school, the MCAT weighs more in deciding for admission to medical school.

However, one has to remember that institutions of higher learning are NOT all the same. Some are harder, and some are easier. So, in essence, YES, it does matter. But, if you do very well at an easier college, and really nail the MCAT, have awesome extra curricular activities, then you are good to go.
 
I thought WashU was pretty honest about how they looked at undergraduate institution.

They had people on the admissions comittee who were designed to be familiar with certain regions and their colleges. So they had somebody who was Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, etc. They were basically the "expert" on that college and assigned to having an idea on how rigorous some of the bigger schools were. Also, they were supposed to be aware of the smaller programs and colleges so that their school wouldn't be looked over.
 
I talked to an ADCOM from one of my state schools, and he didnt come out and say it mattered but he did hint at it.

ADCOM : "your gpa is really good, and your school X is pretty good"

So i am sure it matters somewhat, but probably more at some places then others.
 
I don't think it matters too heavily, unless you are a borderline candidate anyway. It did affect my application though, since I have the stats for an automatic invite at University of Michigan, but didn't get one because the automatic invite is only for certain undergraduate institutions. In the grand scheme of things, it shouldn't matter too much.
 
student12x said:
Well, above says it all. ^
Click to expand...


Your performance in undergrad matters more than the specific institution that you attend. If your university is accredited, then you should be fine as long as you have taken the pre-reqs and have done well.

The name of the institution is generally less of a "deal-maker" when the rest of the application comes into the equation. Performance on the MCAT is a strong factor, extra-curricular activities are factors and the quality of the letters of recommendation are factors. In addition, the quality of the personal statement is also a factor. When all of the factors are "factored" in, the specific institution that you attended carries little weight.
 
Are you in high school, about to start college, or already in college?
Click to expand...
I'm at a community college. But I'm trying to decide on which school to transfer to. Right now I have my eyes set on UC Berkeley or UCLA. But I might opt for other UCs as well.
 
YEA it def does, i go to a state school in buffalo of all places and I felt I had to really demolish the mcat and a stellar mcat just to get noticed at schools like harvard, cornell and usc
 
student12x said:
I'm at a community college. But I'm trying to decide on which school to transfer to. Right now I have my eyes set on UC Berkeley or UCLA. But I might opt for other UCs as well.
Click to expand...
If you're a CA resident then the school isn't going to matter too much. Granted, at most of my CA interviews the students came from the UCs, but the UCs also have a LOT of premeds. But Berkeley vs. Irvine I doubt will be that drastic. Except for UCSF, most of the students there came from Stanford or Cal, which probably has a lot to do with location.

A lot of pre-meds opt to enter the CSU system because the tuition is so much cheaper than the UCs. If you did opt to go the CSU route, I suggest SDSU, SFSU, LBSU, Fullerton, Northridge or Cal Poly SLO. A lot of my friends from Long Beach have done quite well this application cycle. So far we have acceptances to Pitt, Duke, Wash U, Hopkins, UC (I, SD, SF), Stanford, Case Western and many more.

Also, if you have some money, I've heard the Claremont colleges have great reputations.
 
RPedigo said:
I don't think it matters too heavily, unless you are a borderline candidate anyway. It did affect my application though, since I have the stats for an automatic invite at University of Michigan, but didn't get one because the automatic invite is only for certain undergraduate institutions. In the grand scheme of things, it shouldn't matter too much.
Click to expand...

That in itself says something there, no? Not that auto invites are the key to acceptances, but it kind of sucks to think some undergrad schools are precluded even if the applicant has a killer gpa AND mcat.
 
Also, if you have some money, I've heard the Claremont colleges have great reputations.
Click to expand...

I was considering them because of the personal attention that is given in small classes. But I don't think I'm competitive enough to make it in as a transfer. This is a good thing because I don't have the money to pay for private schools anyways lol.
 
Anyone who says it doesn't matter is lying or wrong. It does matter, and it's not just "if 2 people are the same otherwise". An formally admissions committee member from UCLA said that your gpa gets a significant boost depending on your undergrad school.
 
jlq3d3 said:
Anyone who says it doesn't matter is lying or wrong. It does matter, and it's not just "if 2 people are the same otherwise". An formally admissions committee member from UCLA said that your gpa gets a significant boost depending on your undergrad school.
Click to expand...

as it should. i was wondered how it adcoms would look at two applicants...one who was a 3.9 at Chico St. and the other who has a 3.6 at Yale..... i hope there is a clear difference between the difficulties of these two programs. that example is kind of extreme of course tho
 
Yo I don't think you get it! As people on this site-- many of whom were coincedentally rejected from schools like Harvard or Yale-- will tell you, Yale inflates its grades so much that that kid at Chico State is actually more deserving!

I'm just kidding, but honestly anytime someone mentions school prestige there do seem to be a lot of wounded egos that surface, and usually they try to play the grade inflation card.
 
When I interviewed at one New York school, one of my two interviewers was explaining to me "based on your application, I'd be very very surprised if you didn't get in somewhere. Let me explain how we evaluate our applicants. We assign numerical values to different factors . . . " and went on to explain a VCU-like system, and in his explanation he mentioned "and we look at what school you came from. For example, you went to Big State University, which is well known and a good school. Now obviously if you went to, say, Harvard, your score in this category would be higher."

He was very nice about it, but made it very clear that undergrad prestige played into the decision at least at some point.
 
Sure, undergraduate prestige plays a role in admissions, but it is really just a small piece. Regardless of where you go though, just do well in your classes and destroy the MCAT, and that will say more than the name of your UG does. I went to a very unknown, small undergraduate school and thought my education was fantastic and that it really prepared me for any career, but was worried about how ADCOMMs would perceive it. So far, it doesn't look like its given me any major problems.
 
patekpremed said:
The undergraduate institution definitely matters. I spoke with someone on the admissions board at a North Carolina medical school and they said that they basically have tiers of schools. For example, if someone graduates from Duke with a 3.6 and someone graduates from UNC Asheville with a 3.9, they are going to look more favorably on the person from Duke. Granted, if the person from UNC Asheville has a 40 on the MCAT, I think it's safe to say that they are probably going to be ok. Essentially, at an "easier" school, the MCAT weighs more in deciding for admission to medical school.

However, one has to remember that institutions of higher learning are NOT all the same. Some are harder, and some are easier. So, in essence, YES, it does matter. But, if you do very well at an easier college, and really nail the MCAT, have awesome extra curricular activities, then you are good to go.
Click to expand...


i have lousy mcat/gpa (lousy being about 25%ile for accepted students at the schools i've interviewed at)...but have been interviewed/accepted at great schools b/c I come from top 3 undergrad. my interviews have also been CONSIDERABLY easier and more conversational than other people's interviews at the same places...i think my going to a top school heavily influenced my admissions process.
 
i have lousy mcat/gpa (lousy being about 25%ile for accepted students at the schools i've interviewed at)...but have been interviewed/accepted at great schools b/c I come from top 3 undergrad. my interviews have also been CONSIDERABLY easier and more conversational than other people's interviews at the same places...i think my going to a top school heavily influenced my admissions process.
Click to expand...

Say what? I thought that the MCAT is the great equalizer.

 
which medical school in nc did you talk to? if you dont mind me asking...
 
flaahless said:
If you're a CA resident then the school isn't going to matter too much. Granted, at most of my CA interviews the students came from the UCs, but the UCs also have a LOT of premeds. But Berkeley vs. Irvine I doubt will be that drastic. Except for UCSF, most of the students there came from Stanford or Cal, which probably has a lot to do with location.

A lot of pre-meds opt to enter the CSU system because the tuition is so much cheaper than the UCs. If you did opt to go the CSU route, I suggest SDSU, SFSU, LBSU, Fullerton, Northridge or Cal Poly SLO. A lot of my friends from Long Beach have done quite well this application cycle. So far we have acceptances to Pitt, Duke, Wash U, Hopkins, UC (I, SD, SF), Stanford, Case Western and many more.

Also, if you have some money, I've heard the Claremont colleges have great reputations.
Click to expand...

Have you seen kids from out of state colleges at all in your UC interviews? I usually have no trouble finding fellow Cornellians or other Ivy Leaguers at my interviews but at my UC Davis interview everyone attended a UC or CSU.
 
I think it does matter. Even if the education you get isn't superior, the name of your school seems important to many adcoms. If I had a chance to redo my undergraduate experience, I would probably choose a better known and respected school.
 
This topic has been discussed many a times and the consensus seems to be that it doesn't matter.
 
There are many many threads already on this topic as it has been discussed many times. Bottom line is some will say it does matter-obviously those from higher ranking institutions, and some will say it doesn't-obviously some from lower-ranking insitutions. Of course it has to be factored in somewhat & I'm sure how much depends on the med school.
 
based on what i've seen while browsing mdapps, it's safe to say that undergrad institution matters. if you look at interviewees from schools like harvard/princeton/etc., MANY are highly qualified, but many are also interviewed/accepted with "lower-end" gpa's (gpa's that would probably be screened out for people at other schools). The only catch is that the sample on mdapps is biased, but it still gives you a rough idea.

as for the UC's, i dont think it matters much. i would venture to say that UCLA is a really good school because it isn't as cut-throat and "hard" as berkeley, but it still carries a good reputation. (SD, Irvine, Davis, etc. are NOT EASY as you may be inclined to think. In fact, they may even be harder than LA)
 
BigRedPremed said:
Have you seen kids from out of state colleges at all in your UC interviews? I usually have no trouble finding fellow Cornellians or other Ivy Leaguers at my interviews but at my UC Davis interview everyone attended a UC or CSU.
Click to expand...
The UC interviews are primarily UC students with a few CSU and out of state students sprinkled here and there. There was a Cornell girl at UCSD. Other schools that I remember are Emory, Colorado State, Notre Dame, Rice, Ohio State... there are a few others. But definitely the majority come from UCLA, Cal and UCSD.
 
It definitely does matter to some schools. I interviewed at a school where the post-interview file is given an overall point score. On the interviewer's folder and materials there was a list of schools broken up into several categories. The first list, of "top" schools, said "add 1.5 points", the next section said "att 1.0 points" and so on.

It should be said that the lists were very long (perhaps 30-40 schools in the "top" section, and as many in the other sections). And there seemed to be no list for which points were taken off of the file.

As has been mentioned before, it certainly depends on the med school and their individual process. But it does matter.
 
It does not matter. If it does matter to some schools, they are far and few between. If you show you can succeed, it doesn't matter where you went. When averaging their class GPA for the MSAR book, all schools are created equal. Meaning a 3.9 looks the same from anywhere. Schools like having high average gpa 🙂
 
So, from my experience, I think that it really doesn't matter too much. However, I go to a little liberal arts school in the midwest no one has ever heard of, so when I went to my interviews I kinda made it a point to talk up some of my educational experience and some of the great things going to this school has done for me (given me the opportunity to be a leader, etc.). I am unsure about people who go to bigger schools that are generally considered "easier."
 
mcat and gpa get reported to usnews.

undergrad institution does not,

granted,
it is better to have a 3.5 at harvard versus a 3.5 from ohio state. but 3.8 at osu > 3.5 harvard anyday.
 
I went to a school, which it seems ADCOMS have very little knowledge. Luckily, it is in Boston, so they have asked me about my experiences in the city (many of my interviewers have lived or spent some time there..lucky me!).

I'm sure school matters for some of the higher tiered school, but I do not feel it has hindered me too much in the process. I know of other student from my institution that got into some awesome schools (i.e Stanford).

The biggest drawback is having to deal with students from other Boston area schools on the interview trail... some have disdain for my school.
 
Of course it matters. A 4.0 at Harvard and a 4.0 at Ball State are not equal. A 4.0 from Ball State is great and won't hurt you in the admissions process, but a 4.0 from Harvard is that much more impressive. We can argue forever why this should or shouldn't be, but it still matters.
 
What's the average science GPA of matriculants now? 3.5X? Skimming over my school's matriculant data, average science GPA has been ~3.35. FWIW.
 
It matters more at some schools than at others. For instance, WashU and Hopkins gave me interview invites even though I went to a private Christian school bc of my stats, but Duke and Columbia rejected me without an interview. With very little difference in the applications I sent in, and based on comments others have made about their experiences with certain schools, I can't help but think that my undergrad institution played a role.
 
Hi guys, sorry for bringing this up again, but I couldn't find a satisfactory answer in previous threads and posts. If anyone could direct me to older posts about this it'd be great.

Right now, I'm trying to choose which med schools to apply to. Strictly looking a only gpa, my gpa of ~3.58 makes many schools seem out of reach. But everyone has been telling me that since I went to a UC for my undergrad institution, that 3.58 is still well regarded. Does that mean that schools with a 3.7 and 3.8 averages on the MSAR are still within reach? Or should I cross them off the list?
 
What does UC stand for?

Also, I go to a top 10 research university, and my premed office has information on file about the gpas of our alum attending a given school. Overall, they are lower than the gpas of alum from other schools. The differential varies form .2 to .3, which is a LOT if you think about it--you should ask your career services offices if they have similar info on file. There could be several reasons for this: maybe we have better extracurricular experiences, maybe we interview better, maybe we have better letters of recommendation. But in general, it does seem that there is some GPA adjustment being factored in somehow: a UCSF dean of admissions said that until the fall of 2009 application season (JUST when I'm about to apply) they had a point system that ranked schools on 3 different levels with an Ivy League school being a 3, a non-flagship state school being a 1 and other schools that were kind of "second-tier" being a 2. He indicated that going to a difficult school or pursuing a difficult major would still be factored in somehow. I think that there is some broad consideration at most every medical school, but I don't know if there's definitive evidence that, say, a Harvard GPA is looked at as very different from a Brown GPA.
 
I would say that it does have some influence. Take a look at Duke's health professions advising website and look at the average science and cumulative GPA of students accepted and it is significantly lower than the average matriculant GPA as calculated by AAMC. (Overall: 3.50/Science: 3.37)

It appears that the higher ranked school you attend, the more slack you are given with your GPA.

http://prehealth.trinity.duke.edu/success/
 
within reason. if you go to a less well-known undergrad AND slack off, you might be in deep water.

if you're really worried about it, show the adcoms that even though your undergrad may be less prestigious and/or rigorous than a so-called elite school, completely LOAD up your schedule. take 50% more credits than usual, and vie for the tough courses (granted, make sure you have at least some interest in them).

i ended up going to an okay liberal arts school and turned down an ivy league (and all because of a girl...yeah, i was stupid and full of teen angst). and i realize that my liberal arts school isn't as rigorous as, say, hopkins. but you can do 2 things:
1) go out of your way to learn extra stuff- the difference between the elite and the okay schools is that at the elite they usually cover more topics or in more detail, and test you on them. so, read up background to what you're studying. because when it comes down to the mcat or the gre, or writing a paper for a PI, you and the elite school kid will be on the same playing field.

2) as i mentioned before, load up your schedule- take 2 majors, even 3 if you have the time. and make them good, solid majors. sure, it will be hard, but here's the principle: it would have been that hard at an elite school. so MAKE yourself work as if you were at an elite school. there's no one stopping you from going all-out.

this will really make you stand out, esp. if you have a high gpa when you're done. it shows dedication, motivation, and self-discipline.

and, of course, pwn all standardized testing. do extracurriculars, etc. it's now or never, baby. all out.

good luck.
 
ScienceJunkie said:
within reason. if you go to a less well-known undergrad AND slack off, you might be in deep water.

if you're really worried about it, show the adcoms that even though your undergrad may be less prestigious and/or rigorous than a so-called elite school, completely LOAD up your schedule. take 50% more credits than usual, and vie for the tough courses (granted, make sure you have at least some interest in them).

i ended up going to an okay liberal arts school and turned down an ivy league (and all because of a girl...yeah, i was stupid and full of teen angst). and i realize that my liberal arts school isn't as rigorous as, say, hopkins. but you can do 2 things:
1) go out of your way to learn extra stuff- the difference between the elite and the okay schools is that at the elite they usually cover more topics or in more detail, and test you on them. so, read up background to what you're studying. because when it comes down to the mcat or the gre, or writing a paper for a PI, you and the elite school kid will be on the same playing field.

2) as i mentioned before, load up your schedule- take 2 majors, even 3 if you have the time. and make them good, solid majors. sure, it will be hard, but here's the principle: it would have been that hard at an elite school. so MAKE yourself work as if you were at an elite school. there's no one stopping you from going all-out.

this will really make you stand out, esp. if you have a high gpa when you're done. it shows dedication, motivation, and self-discipline.

and, of course, pwn all standardized testing. do extracurriculars, etc. it's now or never, baby. all out.

good luck.
Click to expand...

I go to unknown state U and thats my thinking exactly
 
It can indirectly impact your application if you go to a top-tier institution though. What I mean by that is if you go to a top-tier institution and do medical research, when the PI writes your letter of recommendation, there's a good chance that other schools will know who that person is. Like for example if you went to Harvard and worked with some big-shot medical researcher, I'm sure that would favorably impact your application since the letter would be more meaningful if the reader knew who the person was. If you went to Harvard and got a letter of recommendation from Paul Farmer, I'm sure admission committees would give that a lot of weight.

I do think that different schools afford you different levels of opportunity in terms of research, clinical exposure, and advising / application help, but all this indirectly affects your app.
 
I chose to go to my state school instead of a decent out of state school because of financial reasons. It might be just me, but I feel like I'm already being discriminated when I apply for internships and research spots. Even with a 4.0 and good ECs, the adcoms seem to only take students from upper tier institutions (as listed on their websites).

If I go to a less than spectacular undergrad, do I still have a shot at a top 10 or even top 20 med school?
 
Sharka said:
I chose to go to my state school instead of a decent out of state school because of financial reasons. It might be just me, but I feel like I'm already being discriminated when I apply for internships and research spots. Even with a 4.0 and good ECs, the adcoms seem to only take students from upper tier institutions (as listed on their websites).

If I go to a less than spectacular undergrad, do I still have a shot at a top 10 or even top 20 med school?
Click to expand...

Yep, they occasional like to throw "us" a bone.
 
Does it matter? Yes. Does it matter enough to pick a new one? 99% of the time, no.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

F
Does the type of research I do matter?
Replies
10
Views
793
2026PreMed
2026PreMed
P
In terms of the time of day, does it matter when I submit secondaries?
Replies
8
Views
2K
pablo213
pablo213
S
How Much Does the MCAT Actually Matter in the App Review Process?
Replies
10
Views
3K
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
L
SDN Article: Does College Ranking Matter for Medical School Admissions?
Replies
0
Views
559
Lee Burnett
L
D
Too late to add more schools in September? Partner just got the option to relocate
Replies
15
Views
661
drkjoy
D
Top